Garden Birds - Re-Connecting 'To' and 'With' The Wild – September: Bullfinch (Pyrrhula Pyrrhula

Garden Birds - Re-Connecting 'To' and 'With' The Wild – September: Bullfinch (Pyrrhula Pyrrhula

For those new to my posts, in the run up to the 'Festive Season 2019, I was led to purchase an Endangered Species Calendar, not to keep the content of this very important calendar to myself - no, accompanied by some text written by me about the species featured each month, I purchased it with the intention of sharing the images and text with you.

Writing about these incredible creatures with who we share this beautiful earth, we can engage with them and their beauty, as well as wholly face and consider the very real threat to their survival and ponder our part in taking 'full' responsibility in relation to doing all that we can to protect them – how we keep them safe and very much alive.

We are to understand the importance of their natural habitat, our doing so whilst giving attention to that of our own, which 'for many reasons' is also in immediate danger.

Fully stepping into my role as a 'Flesh and Blood Guardian of The Earth' - which, in short, means 'Earth Keeper - Keeper of the Earth', I began sharing important news and information about our natural environment and our combined role in becoming 'a part of it' as apposed to 'apart from it' in the way that we have - 'over time' - become.

In the Mother Earth - Earth Letter, which will be shared in full just as soon as I am able to get the website complete, and live, Gaia is calling us home - she is inviting us to re-connect with her and all life and living things in the understanding that we are each and all interconnected, interrelated and interdependent.

Here, I offer up a few lines about the importance of all life, as shared by Gaia in her communication within which she is clear in her message, as she says:

"Constant giver, carer, supporter and loving nurturer – ever patient guide and teacher – all life is born from Gaia, each with purpose, each with equal importance; the tree, the ant, the deer in the park and fish in the sea, the soil, the rock – all life - no more or no less important!" ~ Extract Mother Earth - Earth Letter

We began our exploration of Endangered Species in January 2020 with the Snow Leopard and moved on to turn our attention towards the Emperor Penguin, Marine Turtle, Giant Panda, The Gorilla, Asian Elephant, Rhinoceros, Orangutan, Whale, Tiger, Amur Leopard and ended the year in December with the Polar Bear.

I wrote a post each month about endangered species in order to highlight the plight of some of the most beautiful creatures in the wild that are on the watch list or have reached an immediate danger point of extinction.

In 2021, I chose to write about Wildlife, especially so because I wanted to forge a better knowledge and understanding of a host of delightful creatures in our direct living environment, such as The Hedgehog, Deer, Rabbit (and others - about which ‘due to time limitation last year' I am still yet to write) for us to forge a committed relationship to them in order to bring about a better connection between us as differing species that share the same natural environment as our collective home.

For the year 2022, we cast our attention to British Garden & Wild Birds - our feathered friends, little souls that give us such delight.

January was given over to the Goldfinch, February we moved our focus onto the Barn Owl, March saw us connect with the Blue Tit, in April we met the Goosander, May had us embrace the Greenfinch, in June we learnt about the Whinchat (Saxicola Ruberta) - which, to be honest, I didn't know a thing about, July we were enchanted by the Yellowhammer - a truly colourful little character and in August we were to meet a rather distinguished looking bird in the form of the Curlew – the scientific name for which is Numenius Arquata.

This month things get a lot more colourful with the brightly coloured feathers of the Bullfinch (Pyrrhula Pyrrhula) flying into our awareness.

When we start looking up the facts about birds there are some interesting things to learn. The Bullfinch lives for around two years - however, they can live for up to twelve years, which is difference of a decade.

Members of the Finch family, as is the case with the majority of birds, the females and juveniles are the less coloured, appearing like the male, yet has brown back and pinkish-fawn underpants and cheeks - the male presenting with grey back, red underpants and cheeks, black wings and cap and a white rump. The juveniles are like the adult female, but do not have black caps.

It is to be said that the male is a handsome chap indeed and wholly recognisable when seen. You do though have to keep on the lookout because these are quite secretive little birds that like nothing better than to spend their time out of sight among the branches of hedgerows and dense undergrowth of woodlands

Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 the Bullfinch is listed as UK Conservation Status - ‘Amber’ - this means that 'unlike many other birds' the numbers are doing ok.

Let us do all we can to help keep it that way because this was not always the case!

Due to environment changes, to include the reduction of natural habitat on farm, which caused a serious decline in the population, the Bullfinch was a red list species for many years.

In recent years numbers have recovered - hence they have been moved to the amber list.

Bullfinches like nothing better than feeding on insects, berries and seeds. This includes such things as dock, nettle, bramble, ash, birch, honesty and buds - the latter causing a rub with some gardeners and fruit growers.

I believe there is enough to go round and suggest that if we want to keep our wild and garden birds as a part of our rich and diverse natural environment, that we then ensure that we plant and nurture rich and diverse gardens.

Like many other birds, they love hanging seed feeders and I have read are somewhat partial to suet cake.

Bullfinches can be seen all year round - breeding starts April/May - they have 1-3 clutches of 4-7 eggs. Incubation is 12-14 days and they fledge in 12-18.

Nesting in garden shrubs and/or bushes, loving blackthorn and hawthorn, which they find in gardens, woodland, orchards or agricultural farmland.

The female builds the nest, which is made of twigs and moss. Known to be flimsy structures they are lined with finer materials such as root and hair.

Light blue eggs with purple markings at one end that are smooth, and glossy, are laid by the female Bullfinch, who in turn incubates the eggs.

Both the male and female Bullfinch feed their young once hatched.

To see a Bullfinch is one thing, it is a colourful beauty to watch hoping from branch to branch and/or feeding at a bird table makes it a joyous sight in the garden.

Its song 'a quite warble' is a gift bestowed upon us through the sense of sound. Like all birds, it also has an alarm call.

If we pay attention, we can begin to decipher which is which, which bird and which song, call and tone.

The Bullfinch call described and a piped "phew".

Here is a clip from BBC Springwatch entitled The incredible song of a bullfinch – it is incredible, sound just like a person.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1548779031882266

The reason I share these posts is to keep us connected to nature, and in some cases, to re-connect those who have strayed away from the natural world and all the incredible species and life-force that resides within in.

Until next month, when we will meet the Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris) let us do all we can to protect these and all of our wild birds from declining in numbers 'and those in dire straits' from extinction.

If you have any stories to share about your own bird watching or related experiences - please do share.

Article – © Susanne Austin, 30th September 2022 (Note: all text written by Susanne personally unless lines or sections are stated as quoted text).

Susanne Rachel Austin writes on Personal and Environmental Wellbeing… 'Healthy People – ‘Healthy Environment’ - covering natural health and wellbeing, eco-build, sustainable, green and 'one planet' living as a business and daily lifestyle choice for all. Susanne is also the author of a daily ‘True Life Wisdom Of The Day’ shared upon several social media channels and is currently in the process of writing a book and putting together a series or workshops.

Speaking engagements are also woven into these plans. Susanne’s new website is germinating 'Quite Naturally' in-line with this creative process and will be launched as and when complete.

Susanne may be contacted through this post or via her e-mail: info@susanneaustin.co.uk